..is quoque vadum obduco...

Or so I hope.
This week has been a complete waste of time and energy. For every step I have taken forward I have taken several back. The emotional turmoil in the house has disrupted any chance of getting some work done. Dealing with children must and shall always take priority over other activities.
Sadly not many people who do not have kids realise the amount of time and energy it takes simply to keep them happy and healthy.

I have glanced at my feedback in between journeys to A&E and sorting out itinerant teenage lovers, and it seems to be mostly good. The main body of the chapter seems to be solid and has attracted a decent amount of praise. As this was my aim I am happy. I  knew the introduction and conclusion were watery and would need to be rewritten. The fact I identified this means I have progressed in terms of assessing my own work. All good I'd say....

Life should take on more semblance of normality next week, and I am hoping to get in a full office week. I obviously have to do the rewrites which will mean further research and I also have to prepare for the ITR which is taking place on the 5th of March.

I have been going over the problems with the committee I am involved in and have come to the conclusion that the reason I feel so uncomfortable with the ideas put forward is because they take the group in another direction completely, and away from where it is meant to be. At the moment it looks like it is taking on the appearance of a seminar series rather than a postgrad led initiative. As we already have a plethora of lectures/talks/seminars to keep our 'spare' hours occupied I think this would be a mistake. It would mean the group would begin to compete in an already saturated market, the invited external speakers would be of a higher calibre, which could further intimidate fresh PG's from putting their own ideas forward. As this is meant to be an in-house programme, providing current students with the opportunity to test out their presenting skills I don't see how what has been proposed will help with that agenda.

There is also the issue that they met and clearly spoke about how they would organise themselves, forgetting to even touch upon how they would organise the actual project. It smacks of self-aggrandisement, rather than genuine concern to create something worthwhile for others.

I am in a quandary at the moment. Do I just let them get on with it and quietly leave in May or do I make the point ??? I feel I should express my dissatisfaction but am not entirely sure this would achieve anything other than hard feelings (not on my part but on theirs).

I shall continue to think about the situation and hope an opportunity arises where perhaps I can say how I feel without sounding like I am pouring cold water on their ideas.

Auribus tenere lupum - I hold a wolf by the ears.